Time for a Live One

There is some lava there!
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Made it to La Fortuna after a couple of long bus journeys from Panama and then San Jose. We checked to an apartment with a great view of Volcano Arenal that had been recommended to us by another couple we met in Cuzco. A bit over the top / we had two bedrooms, but we had a new kitchen, nice lounge with tv and an all important refrigerator, which was soon filled with beers. Obviously we will recoup some of the splurge on accommodation by drinking cheaper beers!

Everyone comes to La Fortuna to see Arenal, the volcano that towers over the town. We were no exception. Arenal is, if you believe the guides, the most active volcano in central america. We decided to a tour and went with one of the companies recommended in the Rough Guide. To be honest, we reckon they are much of a muchness as there are only three or four companies that have the buses anyway. Best to shop around.

It is live!
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The tour itself included a walk through the tropical forest around Arenal. This was amazing. Didn't expect to see what we did. many birds, including numerous Toucans sat above us in the trees. A long time ago I spent a week in the amazon rainforest and didn't see a single Toucan. Here in Costa Rica we saw 10 to 15 in the space of 30 minutes. Saw lots of other birds, the names of which escape me! Also on the walk, the guide almost leaned against a tree right where a viper was coiled up asleep They have three types of viper here, all of them very poisonous and small. You have 2 hours to get treatment if they bite yer. Yikes. Still, it was safely asleep. Still kept our distance when looking at it though! Then on to the volcano.

Deadly, but sleeping fortunately!
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The top of the volcano was, unfortunately covered in cloud. Seemingly it is only free of cloud 20% of the time, the best time being October or November. Didn't matter too much, as we still able to see some lava flowing down the side. The guide mentioned that this wasn't a river of lava, but hot rocks. Still looked pretty good though. You can't, for safety reasons, get too close to Arenal. Some bright sparks have built hotels (many luxury) within the red zone of the volcano. Crazy. I wouldn't recommend staying there as apparently you have no chance if something happens, and something is due to happen soon! After the fireworks we checked out the mandatory hot pool They were very impressive however not cheap. More suited the guys on spring break than us humble travelers! We would have liked to have stayed longer, but must move on, such is the schedule....